Moments
by aperfectpirouette
Summary: "She's twelve when she goes tumbling into his lap for the first time. She is tall and lanky and hasn't yet learned how to control her limbs, so the gentle push from her best friend and the motion of the subway sends her flying...It's the beginning of their story." Rucas.


**A/N: Inspired by the** _ **Once Upon a Time**_ **story "15" by nowforruin. I own nothing recognizable. Enjoy the read!**

 **Moments**

She's twelve when she goes tumbling into his lap for the first time. She is tall and lanky and hasn't yet learned how to control her limbs, so the gentle push from her best friend and the motion of the subway sends her flying. She is sure she's just made the worst first impression, but he smiles, says hello, and introduces himself. She professes her adoration of his name. It's the beginning of their story.

He is in her history class - the one her father teaches. A year older than the other students, Lucas is already beautiful. He has a kind smile and an athlete's build, but it's his eyes that hypnotize Riley. They are a shade of green that has her dreaming of far-off seas and, if given the chance, she could spend all day drowning in them.

Lucas adjusts to New York life quickly: he and Farkle form an unexpected, but sincere friendship. He patiently puts up with Maya's name-calling and misinformed Texas-themed taunts. He joins the debate team, tries out for (and makes) various sports teams, and is voted Class President. John Quincy Adams Middle School loves Lucas and soon enough, he had more friends and acquaintances than he really knows what to do with.

No matter how many friends he makes, his deepest connection is with Riley. She is his best friend in New York. He knows of her insecurities, calls her "princess", and puts up with the overprotective tendencies of her father. They are infatuated with each other and their puppy love bubbles under the surface of their friendship.

They dance around their feelings, but he assures her that he will have his moment. The thought sends her heart fluttering.

When she's thirteen, she steals his moment on the subway. Maya gives her another gentle push and, once again, she lands in his lap. Her kiss is chaste and sweet and it is a moment the two will always remember.

When Mrs. Svorski dies unexpectedly, it's him that she invites to her bay window. It is her first experience with death and she doesn't quite know how to feel or how to process her feelings. He sits and listens to her. She doesn't know why (she didn't even know Mrs. Svorski that well), but she cries. He holds her and lets her soak his t-shirt.

After the funeral and during the remodel of the bakery, she relies on him to keep her grounded. She's sensitive and emotional and appreciates the comfort of their friendship. However, the rest of their classmates are pushy and impatient: the learn of the sweet subway kiss, they see the pair's closeness, and they start to pressure Riley and Lucas into the next step. The two like each other, but aren't ready to be boyfriend and girlfriend. They try, but it's not their time. They stay friends. With feelings. And their unofficial something is comforting and works just fine for a while.

She's fourteen the next time they are forced to confront their feelings for each other. The yearbook comes out and Lucas and Maya are voted "Cutest Couple." She feels hurt and betrayed and, not for the first time, wishes she was tougher and more beautiful and not a giggly, uncoordinated, immature goofball who still believes in Pluto. She swears she can feel the word "insecure" burning into her forehead. In the aftermath, it takes a personality makeover, a bully, a giant ice cream being smashed into her face, a hallway confrontation, a broken table, a semi-formal miscommunication that has her attending with Charlie, and a tearful bay window conversation with Maya to get her back to her normal.

They finally stop dancing around each other in Texas. They are sitting next to a bonfire when Lucas opens up to Riley about Zay, about his anger, about losing a year of school, about moving to New York, about therapy. He confides in her that Texas doesn't quite feel like home anymore and insists that he's outgrown the bull-riding dream. He finally has his moment and it's beautiful: the crackling fire, the too-many stars, the perfect kiss. In that moment, she really does feel like a princess and she loves it. Their unofficial something blossoms into a real relationship.

When she's fifteen, she and Lucas are voted "Cutest Freshman Couple." And really, they are adorable. He is a star baseball player. She finally makes the cheer team (he's so proud of her perseverance). They parade the halls with their arms linked. She drowns in his eyes and his letterman jacket. He fiddles with the bow in her ponytail. They are high school royalty and Riley finally feels like she is accepted and that she belongs while she struts the halls in her cheer uniform. She is no longer Riley, Maya's Sidekick or Riley, the Naive. She has a boyfriend she adores. She has a squad to belong to and they wear coordinating outfits and she likes it.

She's sixteen when she breaks. Maya yells at her in the lunchroom and calls her a shallow, unrecognizable sellout: it's the first shot in a war between the two. Farkle, Zay, and Lucas refuse to take sides, but the art students rally behind Maya and the cheerleaders back up Riley. This fight has Riley wishing for ice cream duels, because that, at least, is over quickly, doesn't involve others, and doesn't mess up anyone's psyche.

For a while, Riley has the upper hand - a lot of people protect her. But when she catches herself laughing at a mean-spirited joke about Smackle, she comes to the harsh realization that she's changed and that maybe Maya has a point. She drops her pom poms and goes running into the art room to apologize to her best friend - to her sister. On the way, she pulls her hair from the tight ponytail the cheerleaders always wore (Maya always said it was stupid and Riley did anything she could to please Maya). She wants her friend back, she needs to fix it.

In the end, Maya gets the last shot. When Riley gets to the art room, she pauses just outside the door to catch her breath. Before walking in, however, Riley looks in the window to asses the situation. Lucas is in there with Maya. She's behind her canvas sobbing, he's standing by the other door awkwardly rubbing his neck. The fight has been hard on all of them and the boys were doing what they could to keep their friendship with both of the girls. Determined to go in, Riley takes a few more deep breaths and gives herself a quick mental pep talk. She's doing her power pose when it happens: Maya gets up, strides over to Lucas, and pulls him into a kiss.

To his credit, he doesn't kiss her back, but pulls away immediately. He catches Riley's eye through the classroom window and abandons Maya to make sure he explains himself to his girlfriend.

"Riley, I didn't know she was going to kiss me, it came from nowhere, I prom-"

"Lucas," she says softly, fiddling with the ends of her too-straight hair. "I know. I saw what happened. I believe you."

"Oh, thank goodness. I would never hurt you. You know that, right?" He walks up to Riley and tries to give her a hug, but she deflects it.

"Lucas," she breathes out softly. "This is hard. I don't want to hurt you, but I need us to take a break."

"What? Riles, don't do this."

"I just realized that I lost myself. I just need some time to find Riley and I don't know if I can do that when I'm half of RileyandLucas. Will you still be my friend?" She's meek and afraid and uncomfortable and this is the most difficult conversation she's ever had. He looks confused and pained by her admission.

"What do you mean, Riley? You're right here: smiley, happy beautiful Riley." His voice is passionate as her strokes her face. And the sea of his eyes calls to her, she almost caves.

"That's the thing, Lucas. I'm not happy. I don't know who I am. Can I just, please, have some time to find happy Riley. Will you help me? I know it's the worst thing I can ask." She's sobbing at this point, crumbling from Maya's betrayal, the shame of laughing at Smackle, the pain of letting go of Lucas.

He is quiet for a moment. Rubbing her hair and letting her cry like he did in the bay window all those years ago. He takes a deep breath and lets it go. "Riley, I will always be here."

She gives him back his jacket and the two go back to being friends with feelings. She wonders if there will always be feelings involved when it comes to Lucas.

She's seventeen when she finds herself. She spends her birthday shopping with her mom and Aunt Morgan. She tells them that she's going to quit cheer (she loves the activity, but not the team. She tries, but she couldn't stop them from being the cliche mean girls). She ditches the pink lipstick and fake eyelashes and French tips. She cuts off her hair into a lob that suits her natural waves. She trades the cheer uniform and coordinated outfits for purple trapeze dresses and wide-legged pants and ripped jeans. That evening, when she's getting ready for her party, she recognizes the girl in the mirror for the first time. A little mascara. Some sparkly blush. A big smile.

She's not playing second fiddle to Maya. She's not hiding behind a cheer uniform or using Lucas's letterman jacket as armor. She's Riley. She's nice. She believes in fairness. She has amazing friends.

Even though she still isn't talking to Maya, her seventeenth is her favorite birthday. All of her loved ones gifted her with little things that helped her feel like herself: new wardrobe from her parents, new hair from her aunt (the purple streak just about killed her father, but Aunt Morgan took the blame), a necklace with a pendant of the sun from Lucas ("because, princess, you are our sunshine"), new headphones from Uncle Josh, some DVDs and gift cards and music from Zay, Farkle, and Charlie, a mediation book from Uncle Eric ("Remember, niche, people are important and they all deserve to be happy"). She thinks her favorite gift is from Shawn. He gives her another camera and a note that asked her to share her world and her perspective with him.

She isn't a chameleon. She isn't a sidekick or a girl on the sidelines. She gives Shawn a huge hug and finally feels like she understands what her dad meant about meeting the world. She wants to attack it.

She starts a blog and finally finds a passion. No one expects _Girl Meets World_ to be anything more than Riley's online journal, but it grows and soon Riley has thousands of loyal readers who appreciate her perspective on life. She feels like she rounds out the group now and has a real place among her friends (she is no longer the puppy everyone is protecting). She loves her friends: Lucas, the athlete, the protector, the good. Farkle, the genius, the intuitive, the kind. Zay, the dancer, the jokester, the supporter. Charlie, the musician, the listener, the courageous. All balanced by Riley, the writer, the righteous, the open-hearted.

Maya isn't around much and Riley wonders if Maya's role in her life has concluded. That maybe now that she can stand up for herself, she no longer needs Maya in her life. It hurts Riley's heart to think that she could ever not need Maya. But she no longer feels the word "insecure" burning her forehead.

When she's eighteen, things change again.

Senior year is magical: she is back with Maya, the artist, the tough, the loyal. They have an intense heart-to-heart conversation and the magic of the bay window restores their friendship. They move on like nothing's happened, though things between Maya and Lucas are tense for a while.

She goes to prom with Charlie (he wins the ice cream duel against Lucas to decide who she goes with. She still has feelings for Lucas, but she has a really fun evening with Charlie). She is voted "Most Likely to Change the World" in the yearbook. As Class President, she gives uplifting remarks at graduation after Farkle gives the valedictorian speech.

It happens at their graduation party. They are all celebrating the accomplishment at Topanga's, the small bakery is crowded with well-wishers and loved ones. It's all so wonderful, but a bit much. She sneaks away to have a few moments outside to stare at the New York sky. Lucas is already out there. They talk and laugh and he steals another moment and kisses her. It's their first kiss in two years and she doesn't think her heart will ever calm down.

They spend the summer flirting with the line of friendship and relationship. They are just friends, but they kiss and date and cuddle. Their friends don't know how to handle the situation.

Maya leaves for college first. They all pitch in to get her a fancy leather artist's portfolio and a travel case of professional art supplies. There are tears and she promises to do her best at RISD if they all promise not to drift away.

Charlie is the next to leave. Of all of her male friends, Charlie is the one who feels most like a brother and she cries when it's his turn to head off to USC ("bring me back some of the California sun, please. Oh, and you better send me all of your music. I'll be your number one fan!"). She cries again when Farkle leaves for MIT ("You're a genius, Farkle. Can you catch the moon for me?"). Lucas's is, of course, the hardest goodbye. He gets a full ride scholarship to Baylor, and she wouldn't even dream of asking him to stay.

The night before he leaves, they get matching tattoos. It's stupid, but it helps them feel like it's not all ending. Her wrist gets a small moon, his a small sun. They spend the night on the roof and stare at the sky. Nothing more than kisses are shared (she wants to do more, but she thinks it will just add to her pain). It's everything she can do to hold herself together.

She and Zay go to the airport to send him off. His parents are going with him to make sure he settles in. He kisses her mouth and her little moon tattoo. He gives Zay a hug and makes him promise to take care of her. When he disappears into the security line, she waves and can't shake the feeling that she made a mistake. They talked about this. They agreed not to attempt a long-distance relationship. They are not bound to each other. Not exclusive. Not a couple. They are friends. With feelings. Separated by distance. As she loses sight of him, she realizes that their decision was stupid. She will always feel bound to him.

The next weekend, Zay helps her and her family move her into her dorm at Columbia. The next weekend, she reciprocates and helps him settle into his new apartment he shares with two of his dance friends. NYU and Tisch has better dance and performing opportunities than Texas and even though he wanted to go with Lucas, he stayed in New York.

Life goes on and the friends stay in touch, but it's not the same.

Zay meets Ben on her nineteenth birthday. They are at the airport holding a sign that, in crimson and gold glitter, says "CHARLIE LEFT HIS HEART IN NY!" When she sees Charlie, she jumps into his arms and introduces both him and Zay to the new guy in her life.

"Ben is going out with us tonight, I hope that's okay?" She's playing with her hands, nervous about her friends' reaction to the new person. They boys share a look, but there's nothing they can say since there is no LucasandRiley anymore. Charlie recovers first.

"Hi Ben. You're the hot British accent guy who beats Riles out of newspaper bylines, right? She's told me all about you." Riley blushes, Ben laughs. Zay and Charlie observe.

"Is that what she tells you? No. Reporter girl over here is the best journalist in our program. The new freshmen worship her and the older students despise her for taking their jobs. I only wish I was worthy competition."

"Okay," Riley nervously blurts out. "No more talking about school. It's my birthday: let's go celebrate!"

They meet up with some of Riley's sorority sisters and go bowling and out to dinner. Ben leaves after the hours-long search for New York's best gelato. Charlie, Riley, and Zay end the night in her residence hall. Riley is an RA this year and has a single and Zay practically lives on her couch - he and Charlie fight over who sleeps on the floor. She loves when her friends are around.

Lucas isn't coming to New York for break this year and she tries not to let it bother her. The rest of the group are basically attached to one another once Maya and Farkle join them. Ben is there occasionally, but Riley isn't really that attached. The group has fun comparing college stories and falling back into their friendship, but there's a clear void missing from the group. The protector is in Texas spending Christmas with his girlfriend Hailey. They try not to talk about Lucas around Riley. They never bring up Hailey.

When the ball drops on New Year, she deflects Ben's kiss and rubs at the moon tattoo while staring at the actual moon. It's been exactly a year since she's seen Lucas. She wonders what Hailey thinks of the sun on his wrist. Is he looking at the same sky? Does he still think Riley is the sun, or is his sun now blonde, tall, and freckled? Riley wonders why she cares so much.

She's twenty when she sees him again. It's summer in New York City, but this time instead of greeting her friends at the airport, she walks out of the terminal to a bright purple sign with her name on it. It's held by a jumping and squealing Maya. Farkle, Zay, Charlie, her parents, her uncle Josh, Shawn, Auggie, and Ava are all there, too. When she sees them, they all scream "Welcome home, Riley!" and attack her in the largest group hug ever.

"Never, ever, ever leave me alone like that again, Little Plant!" Maya is crying and laughing and hugging and shaking her and it's so much. It's good to be home.

"Maya, let the girl breathe and let me hug my daughter!" Riley missed her mom.

Riley loved her nine month study abroad trip to England. But this? Her family and friends squeezing her to death in New York? This was bliss. There's nothing like coming home.

Riley was passed around a few times. Charlie laughs at their antics and teases them for their affection; he spent his winter break with Riley in London and his spring break with her in Paris (Charlie suffers from boredom and a case of wanderlust), so he's seen her the most recently. He'd probably be a jumping fool if she hadn't seen her for a year, too.

There are more surprises at Riley's apartment. An England-themed party. Christmas and birthday gifts held from last December. A large stack of notecards of things Maya needed to catch her up on. New gossip. There are so many more people in her apartment (Riley squeezed the heck out of her Big and Little and the rest of her sorority family and melted into her grandparents.). She's never felt more loved.

She and Charlie are telling the story of drunk ice skating in Hyde Park when Lucas walks in. Riley swears everyone in the apartment holds their breath at the sight of him. Charlie holds onto her arm in support. Riley takes a deep breath and she takes him in - green eyes and all.

"Lucas. Um. Hi. Thanks for - uh. Thanks for coming." She hates how unsure she sounds.

"Riley." Her name is nothing more than a whisper and it does something to her stomach that she hasn't felt in years. Maybe it was the fact that she hasn't seen him since freshman year. Maybe it was because she was surrounded by her family and she felt invincible. Maybe it was because Zay told her he was single now. Maybe it was because Maya gave her a shove. But before she could fully comprehend what was happening, Riley finds herself running the short distance from the kitchen table to the front door. It's like a scene in a movie when she jumps into his arms.

He catches her easily. Twirls her around a few times, and it's like everything else fades away. It's just them, standing there, breathing each other in.

"Riley," he whispers again. The butterflies from her teen years are resurrected. "God, Riles, I've missed you." And she's done.

She doesn't remember much of the rest of the party. She knows she shows them all a few pictures (most of them kept up with her life by reading her blog). She does a British accent. She and Charlie share their travel stories. She passes out gifts and assures everyone that she's a New York City girl and that she won't disappear again.

Lucas sits next to her the whole time, rubbing circles in her back.

They have another summer together and she cherishes their time together. Spending time with him is _easy_. It makes sense. He goes apartment hunting with her. He participates in her family's game nights. She bakes with his mother. He sees all of her for the first time (neither are each other's firsts and they regret it a little bit). She tells him the stories behind each of her tattoos (Riley now has five). They talk about their dreams, old loves, share secrets - it's intimate and comfortable and just feels _right_. He stays up late with her while she edits articles for her summer internship and does his best to distract her from her work (Riley allows it, because she can't really say no to him). He helps her hang artwork in the little apartment. She shows him her favorite places in the city. He claims a side of her bed. They go on a trip to Washington, DC. He encourages her to apply to graduate school. When she learns what happened with Hailey, she promises him that if she ever runs into the blonde, she'd punch her right in her freckled face for cheating. She's happy. He's home.

They don't define what they are. They are LucasandRiley and they are always together, but they aren't _together_. It works for them - it's always worked for them. But when the leaves change, he goes back to Texas. And Zay stays with her in her apartment while she FaceTimes Maya and cries. And Farkle sends cute videos of puppies to make her smile.

Charlie, separated by distance, is the one who confronts at her about it.

"C'mon, Riles! You obviously have feelings for the guy. Why are you doing this to yourself? You guys have had an unofficial thing going since seventh grade."

She doesn't really have an answer for him and, rather than confront the issue, she buries herself in schoolwork and graduate school applications. When winter break comes along, she visits Charlie and his new girlfriend in California and misses Lucas's New York visit.

When she's twenty-one, her life crumbles. She needs him. It's the middle of the night when her shaky hands dial him. She's exhausted, coming off of a brutal two-week exam period in which she didn't really eat or sleep properly. She can't handle a disaster right now and while she appreciates Zay and his presence in her life (what would she do without him), she needs Lucas. He finally answers on her fourth redial and his sleepy, worried voice instantly calms her.

"Riles? It's three o'clock your time. What's going on, princess?"

"I-I'm sorry for w-waking you. I just-"

"Riley, you're crying. What's wrong?" She hears him rustling, probably getting out of bed. He sounds more awake and concerned.

"My-my dad. I'm at the h-hospital. I know you're busy. And I know I'm being a pest, but I n-need-"

"Hey. Don't do that. You can _always_ call me, Riles. You aren't a pest. What hospital are you at?"

"He-he was hit by a drunk driver. He w-was walking with Auggie back from his semi-formal. We're at B-Bellevue. Zay is here." She's starting to babble, and she's not quite sure she's making any sense. But she can't bring herself to filter her thoughts. She sobs into the phone and he soothes her until her breathing is normal. She hears more rustling and movement on his end and she briefly wonders if she was interrupting something.

"Riles, babe, can you put Zay on the phone, please? And then I am all yours."

She passes the phone to Zay and wants to eavesdrop, but she blocks out their conversation. She's so worried and so tired. Auggie is okay, he wasn't hit. He's cuddled in the corner with Ava. Uncle Josh and Shawn are trying to comfort Topanga. Katy is picking up food and coffee for the somber group. Farkle and Maya are taking the train from Boston and Providence. She did her best to talk Charlie out of flying out here, the compromise is that she has to FaceTime him every two hours and he gets to decide if the flight is worth it. She rubs her moon tattoo for comfort - it's a habit she's picked up.

She feels a nudge on her shoulder. It's Zay.

"Hey, sugar. Here's Lucas back." She takes her phone back and she whispers to him her biggest fear.

"What if he isn't okay?"

"Princess, I'm going to need you to be a little more positive than that." "But, what if-"

"Babe. No. My favorite thing that you ever wrote on your blog was over Christmas break when you were talking about missed opportunities and broken love stories. Do you remember?"

"Y-yeah."

"What was it?" It's a gentle nudge from him to shift her to thinking more positively. She takes another deep breath.

"I said something like 'what if' is humanity's most depressing phrase. It means that you've lost your faith in the present moment and you've already resigned yourself to dreaming of other realities."

"Exactly. I know it's hard, Riles, but I would love for you to keep fighting at this present moment. This is the reality you're in, okay? It sucks and it's awful and I can't even imagine what kind of pain you're in, but you can't give up hope. I will be there in six hours, babe. Can you hang on until then?"

"Y-you don't-"

"Don't even try to talk me out of it, princess. I will see you soon. In the meantime, while your dad's in surgery, try to get some sleep. We're all worried about you. It will make the time pass faster."

"Thank you." It's the only thing she can think of to say.

When she wakes up, the waiting room looks different. Her mom is sitting next to Auggie, clutching his hand. Ava is rubbing her back. Shawn and Katy look like zombies in their chairs while they fill in Uncle Eric on what's happened. Uncle Josh is on the phone with his parents. Farkle and Zay are FaceTiming with Charlie. Riley is on the floor. No, Lucas is on the floor. Riley is curled up in Lucas's lap. He is rubbing circles on her lower back, whispering to Maya, who is clutching Riley's hand like it's the only thing keeping her together.

"Good morning, babe. I'm glad you listened to me." She must have stirred, bringing Lucas's attention to her.

"How is he?" Her voice sounds like gravel. Lucas hands her a water bottle while she adjusts herself to sit next to him. It's Maya who answers.

"The surgery went well. He's in the clear. You've been asleep for a while and none of us had the heart to wake you because you just had exams. The doctor said he will be able to see people in about half an hour." Riley nods as she processes the information.

"How are you?" Lucas is always thinking about her.

"I'm a little annoyed no one woke me up. But I do feel better. I'm so glad he's okay."

"We all are, Riley. We all are."

She makes him leave five days later. They are so close to graduation, she doesn't want him to miss too much school. Maya and Farkle also have to be forced to go back to their schools. For the rest of the semester, she is overwhelmed with texts and phone calls from her friends checking in on her.

She graduates from Columbia and she is so thankful that her dad is there. Riley's graduation is last of the crew's, so she has the luxury of having them all there for her. So many photos are taken and it's too much, but she knows she'll remember this day forever.

They have another group party at Topanga's. The little bakery was all decked out in the colors of their five schools. It was a crazy evening. Her night ends on the roof of her apartment building. She's going to get her Master's degree from Columbia (she really loves her school), so she keeps the apartment. Maya is in the process of moving in to the second bedroom and she is so happy. All of them are back in New York now. Charlie is pursuing his doctorate from Columbia (Riley talked him into it). Farkle is taking over his parents' company. Zay is in the corps of the American Ballet Theatre. Maya is an intern at the MoMA. Lucas is working at an animal hospital in the city for a year before he applies to veterinary programs.

On the roof, it's just her and Lucas once again staring at the New York sky. He steals another moment for their story.

"I should have told you this years ago, Riley. I love you." She swears that moment is magical.

She's twenty-two when he moves into her apartment. Maya finally figures it out with Josh and they are going to be living together once they come back from their four-week road trip. Instead of helping Riley look for a roommate, Lucas just moves his stuff in. He basically lives there anyway and this way, he claims, he gets to keep his side of Riley's bed permanently.

They bicker over what color to paint the office (Maya's old room) and what the best book organization system is the best (alphabetical). She wonders if they're maybe moving too fast, but she's so happy and this has been a long time coming. So she just allows herself to live in the moment.

"Hey Lucas," she calls while she balances on a chair to hang up a framed print of her favorite _Girl Meets World_ photo - a full moon over Saint Paul's Cathedral in London.

"Yes, princess?"

"Thank you for loving me."

At twenty-three, she finds herself in another cap and gown at another graduation party. She's not sharing this one with anyone, though, and she cannot decide if she likes all of the attention on her, or loathes it.

"Hello, beautiful." His voice will never stop giving her butterflies.

"Hey, handsome," she plays along.

"May I be the twelve hundredth person to wish you congratulations on your graduation?"

"What are you talking about, Mad Dog? You were the first."

"I know, but I take any excuse to praise the princess. Plus, you were looking like you needed a break from making small talk, so I am here to rescue you." She has never been more appreciative of this man before.

"My hero," she blinks at him. She wraps her arms around him, and just melts. "Why do we like so many people? I would have been happy with just dinner with you and my parents."

Lucas chuckles. "Maya would kill you if she wasn't allowed to share this moment with you. So would Charlie. And Auggie and Ava. And your sorority sisters. And Zay. And Farkle. And Josh. And-"

"I get it, I get it," she grumbles. "I wish I was less lovable. I wouldn't have such a big fan club." The statement was delivered with a hair flip and a smirk that makes Lucas laugh.

"Oh, babe, you couldn't be any less lovable if you tried. Now, I think you've given them all enough of your presence. Let's get out of here."

They escape her graduation party and head to their roof (it's a tradition at this point). He's in a suit and she still has her graduate gown and Master's hood over her dress. It's a bit windy, but otherwise, the night is beautiful. She twirls around and lets out a relieved sigh. She's done with school. She's not sure it will ever fully sink in that she never has to take another exam again.

They slow dance to the sounds of the city as the moon shines on them. She thinks it's the most precious moment in the world.

"Hey, Riles?" He asks, voice shaking. She's never heard him sound so unsure, it makes her nervous.

"Lucas, what is it?" They stop dancing and when he kneels, she thinks her heart stops in her chest. She knows what's coming and she's so happy, she doesn't know if she can be patient enough to hear what he has to say. "Lucas," she breathes.

"Riley Matthews, I have been in love with you since the day you fell into my lap in the seventh grade. You've been my sunshine and my most treasured friend for all of these years and I just want us to continue to spend our lives together. Will you marry me?"

It's everything she can do to repress her inner seventh-grader from yelling "Yyyyyaaaaayyy" into the night. "Yes! Lucas, yes, yes, yes! Of course I will marry you!"

His smile is the most luminous thing in the city that night and she knows she's never been happier. So far, this is her favorite moment in their story.


End file.
